The Kremlin has only now officially lifted the preliminary quarantine requirement for those planning to meet President Vladimir Putin. It should be recalled that the quarantine requirement for meeting Putin was introduced in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Axar.az reports that according to Russian media, despite six years having passed since the COVID-19 virus emerged and four years since related restrictions were officially lifted, the requirement to undergo quarantine before meeting Putin remained in force until recently.

Initially, the isolation period lasted two weeks; in 2023, it was reduced to five days. Putin’s guests were required to undergo testing for COVID-19, influenza, and acute respiratory viral infections in order to meet face-to-face or have close contact with him. These measures were strictly enforced by the Federal Protective Service (FSO).

The World Health Organization officially declared the end of the pandemic in May 2023. However, COVID-19 restrictions in Russia had effectively been lifted earlier: in July 2022, Rospotrebnadzor отменed mask mandates and social distancing requirements.

The 74-year-old Putin was the only head of state in the world to impose such strict quarantine measures for coronavirus and maintain them for such a prolonged period. Some politicians refused to undergo PCR testing before meeting him and therefore held talks at a distance.

For example, on February 7, 2022, Putin met French President Emmanuel Macron at the Kremlin. Because Macron refused quarantine and testing, he had to sit six meters away from Putin at a long table.